The authorities in Senegal have handed over to The Gambia, a former member of the “Junglers”, a death squad which was at the behest of former President Yahya Jammeh.
This comes a few days after Sanna Manjang’s arrest in the Senegalese southern region of Casamance, following a joint operation between the two countries.
A fugitive since January 2017, Manjang was arrested Saturday morning in southern Senegal. He is accused of torture, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings.
According to a statement from the Gambian Ministry of Information, the arrest resulted from
close collaboration between Senegalese and Gambian security services, which has been strengthened in recent months to locate the fugitive.
This cooperation intensified after the Senegalese Council of Ministers adopted a bill on November 23 authorizing the ratification of the extradition treaty between the two countries.
The operation comes several months after the Banjul Magistrates’ Court issued an arrest warrant in February, following a request from Interpol Washington asking the Gambian police to confirm whether Manjang was still wanted and recommending the issuance of an international warrant.
Described as one of the most notorious Junglers, Sanna Manjang is suspected of involvement in numerous crimes committed between 1994, the year Yahya Jammeh came to power in a coup, and 2017, when his regime fell and his exile to Equatorial Guinea.
The “Junglers” were an elite unit accused of perpetrating serious human rights violations during Jammeh’s 22-year authoritarian rule.
Manjang is specifically cited in the findings of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) for his central role in extrajudicial killings, torture, and enforced disappearances.
Gambian authorities welcomed the arrest as “a major step forward” in the pursuit of justice for victims of the Jammeh regime and indicated that arrangements are underway for Manjang to be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
The Banjul government reaffirmed its commitment to justice, accountability, and the protection of human rights.
It commends Senegal’s “constant and decisive” cooperation to locate Manjang, ending eight years on the run as a fugitive.
AC/fss/as/APA